Sinusoidal-wave-current apparatus.



P. CBDERGRBN-f" 4 SINU'SOIDAL WAVE CURRENT APPARATUS.

AYPLIUATIOR'FILD 0012?. 1907. i

Pgfented Dc. 2Q, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.A

kmb mw @M F. GEDERGREN. SINUSOIDAL WAVE CURRENT APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED 00TH. 1907.

979,060, Patented Dec.2o,1910.

"2 gums-SHEET 2.

Aunrrnn .israrns PATENT onrion. ,Y

v Bnrz. or HAMMOND, murrine.

SINUSOIDALNAVE-CURRENT APE'ARATUS.

snieciaeanon of Leners raient,

resented nee. 2o, 191e.

Application filed October l?, 1907. Serial No. 396,261.

To of( whom it muy] concern` provide an iinprved iorin oit elcetro-thera-v peutic device adapted to produce sinusoidal Wave currents of electricity of such nature :hat they may be passed through the human body without shoclr,- for the purpose of pro.

ducing,` alternating relaxations and contractions of the muscles,4 tor the purpose 'of developing them or curing diseases, the effect. being Asomewhat in the nature of that ofmassage; to provide an apparatus ot this class which is capable of produeinfr sinusoidal currents, either constant or altt-irnating in direction, in .which the voltage gradually increases and decreases Without break vor lsudden change.; and to provide an improved method. of connecting thefvarious parts of an apparatus of `this character. whereby the character of the changes in the current may be controlled at the Will. of the operator. These objects are accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, in

Iny the form shown in Fig. 1, the appara- 3 tus comprises a motor 1 and a rheostat of special construction, with a source of eurrent and a circuit provided with electrodes for application to the human body. The rheostat comprises a disk 2 of slate or other suitable non-conducting material mounted to rotate aboutl its axis 3, and arranged to be continuously7 driven by means of the ivorrnwheel `1 andthe Wormo on the motor shaft.

The disk Q is provided With variable resistance, preferably in the .form tof a co`ntinuous annular band or strip of conducting material, this strip being formed of alterlee,

lnate segments ot relatively high and relatively lou' resistance, arranged symmetrically, similar segments being in pairs diametrically opposedu two short metal segments t3 and 7 are separated by long segments 8 and 9 formed of graphite uniformly distributed upon the surface of the disk 2 between the segments 6 and 7, the segments 8 and 9 being,- of uniform Width throughout their lengtlnand the eni tire strip having a smooth, unbroken top surface. The brushes 1G and 11 bear upon this rheostat strip, and a second pair of brushes 12 and 13 bear. upon the annular conductors let and 15 which are respectively connected by conductors 16 and 1'? with the metal segments 6 and l'. The brushes 10, 11, 1Q, and 13 constitute the rheostat terminals. These conductorW and brushes are connected in the manner which will be hereinafter described with afsuitable source of electric current at 18, a meter 19, patients electrodes and a controlling1 switch 21. This switch is provided with double switch arms respectively contacting with contact segments a Y) c and o o" o. The switch contacts a and o are electrically connected,

in the form shoWn,`

'FREDGEDERGREN, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIG'NOR F ONE-IALF TO S.

and so are the contacts Z) o and also the con` by theI conductor QQ to the sivitcharm 23.

The other switch arm Q3 is connected by 'the conductor 2ln'ith the meter 19 and one patents electrode. For the purpose of dis-l tinguishing` from the main line conductors, f

the conductors Q4 and 25 Will be ,herein termed service conductors.

\ 'the brush 11, which bears upon the rheostatfstrip at a point diametrically opposite,`

ltheylnush 10, is connected by the conductor Q6 with the switch contact a. The brush 12 connectedl with the negative lead of the line by the conductor-27, and the brush 13 is connected with the switch contacts a, Z)

and o by the conductors 28 and 28. The

conductor Q9 connects the switch conta-cts@ y and o.

rl"he operation of 1 is as follower-The rheostat segments 6 and 7 preferably extend across the `entire the device shown in Fig;

radial width of the graphite strips, so that the current passing through the strip. ot graphite will tend to spread out across the entire width thereof, and thus avoid local stress upon the graphite at the point 4of entrance'or departure of the current. Assume that the circuit is receiving current from the' source 1S, and that the switch is in the position shown in Fig. l, and that the motor is beingl continuously driven so as to cause, the disk 2 to rotate continuously in one direction. The segments 6 and 7 will in `this case have the t'ull potential ot the line. and the resistance sections 8 and 9 will act as potential distributers between segments G and 7, and equal angular displacement on either side of segments 6 or 7 willvgive substantially equal potential. lVhen the brushes 10 and 11 are in contact with the segments (3 and 7, the potential between the brushes 10 and 11 will be full line potential. As the disk 2 revolves, the potential between the brushes will be reduced reaching zero when the line 30 is under the brushes, at which time the potential of both brushes will be one-half the line potential. The path of the current is then traced as followsz-from the positive lead of the line through 22, 23, o, 28, 13, 15, 16, (i, through a portion ot' the rheostat segment 8, brush 10, then through 25, to the meter and patients electrodes. then through 24, 23', a, 2G, brush 11, 7, 17, 12, and 2T, to the negative lead of the line. It will he seen that the current flows through the rheostat in a divided pat-h, one part flowing from the rheostat sefrment (3 to the brush 10, and there dividing, a part passing out into the brush 10, and another part following the graphite segment 8 to the rheostat contact T. The second part of the current, which divides 'at the segment (3, flows through the segment t) and combines with the tiow ot' current b etween the brush 11 and the segment T.

As the disk 2 continues to rotate, say in a counter-clockwise direction, tliebrush 10 becomes gradually farther removed from the segment (3, and the resistance ot the two paths of the current inthe rheostat becomes equalized when the brushes 10 and 1l are midway between the segments (3 and ,7. This position is indicated by the dotted diameter 30. At this time there is no E.

.M. 1"., and accordingly no current passing shunt of the line, but in such relation with' the rheostat that the patients 'circuit will bridge a variable amount of the resistance all of the time except during the instant wherrthe brush 10 is'in contact with the segment 6, the flow of current being then as folloivs2--rom 1S, through 22, 23, to b, there dividing, one part flowing through 28, 13, 15, 16, 6, there dividingcand 'passing through the two graphite strips 8 and 9 to the Segment 7. The second part of the current,1which divided at I), flows through 28l to b, then through 23', Q4, patients electrodes and meter, 25, to the brush 10, where it joins with the current passing between the segments (i and 7. Htill of the current then flows through the conductors 17, 14, 12, and 2T, to thenegative line. In this second position of the switch 21. no current flows through the brush l1.' lVhen the brush 10 is in contact with the sefrment 7, almost all' ofthe current will iow through the service conductors or patients circuit, and but a very small part will flow through the graphite segments S and 9 on account of the. relative resistances of the y.two paths. The continued rotation of the disk 2 carries'the brush l0 gradually farther' away trom thc metal segment 7, and therefore graduallv decreases the flow 'of current in the patientis circuit, as the length ofthe part of the graphite segment 8 in circuit therewith increases, and it falls to zero when the, brush l0 is on the segment 6. Continued rotation of the disk 2 now gradually `reduces the resistance and increasesI the How of current between the patient`s electrodes, but without changingthe direction of the tlow, as was the case when tl.c switch arms were in contact withthe members a'and. a'. When the segment 7 arrives at thebr'ush 10, the cur rent will have again reached its maximum. In this instance the current is-again of undulating character, and 'gradually passes from maximum strength to zero, and from Zero to maximum strength; and 'sov on through repeated cycles, without changing .its sign.

Wrhen the switch arms are shiftedl to the switch contacts c and c,`the flow ofthe current is as follows z-from the 18, through 22, 23, c, 29, c', 23,'24, then .through thc meter and patients circuit, then through conductor lo to hrush 10, then through the rheostat strip in a divided path to the segnient i', and finally through conductors 1T, il, l?, and 2i', back to the source. In this case the brush 11 is again cut out of the circuit, as is also the brush 13, and/thc current in patients circuit is ata certain minimum 5 Winn the brush l0 1s 1n contact with the segment, (i. In this case all of the graphite is in series with the patients electrodes, the current dividing ato, and equal quantities flowing through both sides of. the rheostat t the segment T. As the disk 9 rotates, the brush l() gradually approaches nearer to the segment "i", cuttmv out resistance in the patientls circrit, until tie current therein reaches its maximum when the brush is incontact with the segment 7. In this case the undulations oi" thc current in the patients circuit are be tween. a certain maximum and a certain minimum valueboth of the same sign, and thekhanges are again gradual and without breaking' the circuit at any time. For this position of the switch, the fluctuations in the patients circuit are of lesseramplitude than in the other two cases, and the changes are more gradual.

W'hcnl the Switch arms 23 and 23 are in contact with a and a', as shown in Figi. l, then the rheostat disk 2 is connected directly across the line 18, and the service electrodes :20, 2O are connected to the brushes l0 and 11.r 'Under this condition the potential at the service electrodes will change from-maxi-v mum to minimum in each quarter revolution of the rheostat disk,l since the minimum potential will occur, at the time when the line 30 is under the brushes 10 and 211, and the line 30 Will pass thebrushes twice per revolution.

VVhen'the switch arms are in contact with and o', the potential of the brush l0 connectedto one service electrode will be at a maximum when thelsegment` 7 is in contact with the brushlO, and at a. minimum ivhen the sefrment G'is in contact with the' brush 10, and the potential. at the service electrodes will change from maximum to minimum in each half revolution rof the dislt.- In a'ysimi-v lar manner, when the switch arms .23 and 23 are in contact with c and c the current will beunaximumwvhen the segment 7 is incontact. with the brush-10, which occurs once every full revolution, and the current will change trom maximum to minimum m each'.

half revolution. l

4In t-he modified forms which are shown inv Figs. @to 5, inclusive, .the graphite strips are replaced a succcession of insulated metal contacts connected With variable resistance somewhat in the nature of the ordinary rheostat, with the exception that the contacts are assumed to be close together and the .resistance is so arranged and the contacts so coni i i i I t i i ot the disk. V .is not gradually undulating as nected that. there will be reversal oi' the current n in these ca:

ie current the toim tance is t in steps of ad ot infini# with the graphite shown in Fig'. l. .since i thrown in or ont ct the i1 i' considerable magnitude tesimal steps, as .is ihecas rheostat.

ln the forms shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the lparts which correspond tothe brushes l0 and ll of Fig?. i are carried by an arm Whiclris mountedto rotate' Whilethe rheo stat disk is stationary-1 In the-form shown in li 5, the rotation is oscillatory and is produced hy the continuousrotation of the crank 31. The connections betiveenthe va rions conductors in Figs. 2 to y5, inclusive, need not be herein'describeihas they each correspond to indiyidnal conditions that may be had in the device shown in Fig. l by? setting the switch in diterent positions.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-l

1. A device of the class descriliied, coinprisingr a disk having thereon an annular conductor comprising a strip of resistance material, a pair ot brushes bearing on said strip at diametrically opposite points, an electric circuit comprising conductors in circuit with said brushes and having connection separate from said brushes with tiro diametri'cai'iy `opposite parte of said strip` means for rotating said disk and im relatively to'each other about the axis of sai-d strip, electrodes for connecting a patient in said circuit, anda switch comprised in saidcircuit and adapted at will to` connect said electrodes either in shunt with variable part of said strip partof the time, or

in series with said strip most nii the time.k

2. A device oi `the class described, comprising a dislt of insniatingr materialhaving` thereon a contiiiuous annniar strip of conducting material comprising alternate segments of relatively hit-rh and relativelyloiv' Aresistance arranged sjirinmctriciilly in dia,-

metrically opposed pairs. a pair of brushes bearingon said strip at diametrically opposite points, an electriccircuit comprising 4conductors, includingu electrodes, in( circuit `with said brushes and having' connei ion with tivo diametri ally opposed i arts ot strip, means for "ro/tating'` l die L1nd brushes' relatively to cach et i about the axis of said strip, and sivitchingnieans adapted to vary the connection vbetween the if'arions parts so as to produce atl ivili cui: rents having; sinnsoidai changes in voltage and either aiternsatmgg'in direction or dow ing contimionsi.r in one f reetion wie disk and brushes rela 3, devic prising a an annular Lt i i E strino rests' pair of annular conductors insulated from each other and respectively connected to diametrically opposite `points of said strip,

' brushes bearing on said conductors, a pair -said circuit and adapted to connect the -patients electrodes eithersolely in series most of the time or in parallel partv of the timewith a yariable part of the resistance strip on said member at the will of an operator, said connections being such that the 4relative. movement of said member and the brushes bearing on said resistance strip will cause undulatory changes 1n the resistance in the patients circuit for each position of said switch.

4. The combination of line conductors, service electrodes, rheostat terminals, switching means', a rheostat member rotatably mounted and adapted to vary the potential of one pair of terminals from maximum to minimum in one quarter revolution, and adapted .through said switching means to vary the current from maximum to minimum .in one half revolution, said rheostat terminals being connected between said line conductors and said service electrodes, and means for maintaining a substantially uniform relative rotation of said rheostat member. l

Signed at Chicago this 3rd day of October 1907.

FRED CEDERGREN.

Vitnesses E. A. RUMMLER, MARY M. DILLMAN 

